Summary
Mark Wahlberg recalls Jack Nicholson shutting down his improvisation while filming Martin Scorsese’sThe Departed. Released in 2006,The DepartedstarsLeonardo DiCaprio as Billy, an undercover cop attempting to infiltrate Costello’s (Nicholson) criminal organization while uncovering a mole in the police department. The crime thriller features a standout cast, including Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin, and Martin Sheen, with Wahlberg playing Dignam, a prickly sergeant in the Massachusetts State Police.
During a recent interview withJake’s Takes, Wahlberg recalls that he attempted to do some improvising while filmingThe Departed.
It turns out, however, that Nicholson didn’t totally love Wahlberg’s improv, and a “little chat” with Scorsese ensued. Check out Wahlberg’s recollection of events below:
“I was improvising throughout the movie and my character obviously didn’t have nice things to say to anybody. So I said some unpleasantries to Jack and he gave me a look that nobody else gave me. And of course, Marty,I did one more and they both had a little chat and then they said, you know, ensure that that’s the end of that.”
The Departed Ending Explained (In Detail)
The ending of Scorsese’s The Departed has twists and turns to match any thriller, and the surviving characters are key to understanding the movie.
The Departed’s Improv Explained
Jack Nicholson Brought A Lot Of His Own Ideas
The Departedwas nominated for five Oscars and ended up winning four, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Clearly, William Monahan’s script for the film was airtight, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a great deal of improv happening on set. Numerous behind-the-scenes stories fromThe Departed, for example, have become legend, particularly those involving Nicholson’s Costello performance.
The Departed’s inspiration for Nicholson’s Costellowas real-life crime boss Whitey Bulger.
Nicholson toldVarietyin 2007 that he improvised parts of a key scene with DiCaprio in which he intimidates and interrogates Billy. According to the actor, he requested that the prop department “hide a gun on the set,” with the weapon not having been written into the script.When Costello pulls the gun out while talking to Billy, there’s real fear on DiCaprio’s face, and it totally changes the dynamic of the scene.
Damon would similarly reveal toFilmInkthat it was Nicholson’s idea to flash a dildo during a scene set in a porn theater. Damon also shared on theWTF With Marc Maronpodcast thatNicholson brought some of his own sinister ideas to a scene inThe Departedin which Costello executes a woman, with the actor pushing to include several lines about how she “fell funny” after he shot her. While Nicholson certainly seems to have done a lot of improvising while filmingThe Departed, Wahlberg’s story suggests playing Dignam meant sticking more to what appears in the script.
The Departed
Cast
The Departed, directed by Martin Scorsese, depicts the tense interplay between the police and the Irish Mafia in South Boston. As an undercover officer infiltrates the criminal underworld, a syndicate informant rises within the police force, culminating in a high-stakes struggle to uncover the dual moles within their ranks.
